


5 Things Nemo Did On Hiatus

by 1001cranes



Series: Nemo - Phoenix Fields [6]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Original Work
Genre: 5 Things, M/M, a mixed bag of nonsense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-27 00:27:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14413728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1001cranes/pseuds/1001cranes
Summary: there's a lot of dumb things you can do with a month off.





	5 Things Nemo Did On Hiatus

**Stealing Things**

There’s plenty of Nemo’s life that he doesn’t remember, but once upon a time he was a decent second-story man. He knew how to move quietly, and he was observant, and even before all this magic nonsense he was pretty unobtrusive. 

With a fresh set of spells at his disposal, he feels nearly unstoppable. Pass Without a Trace to disappear into the city and Greater Invisibility in a pinch; Arcane Eye to see around corners; Gaseous Form to get into tight spaces or MIsty Step for tall ones; Mislead and Mage Hand for distraction.

By the time he crawls into bed he’s not sure he really feels any better, but he’s several pieces of art and jewelry richer, and Lord Shademore’s house has several very rude drawings scrawled over the front of it.

  
  
  


###  **With Graeme**

Graeme, as always, has excellent timing.

The first night they spend in Soraya, Nemo wakes to his head settled on Graeme’s knee. One large hand strokes gently through his hair.

“Hello, little shade.”

“Hi.”

“You’ve had a bad day, I think.” Graeme’s voice is exceptionally soothing; the burr of it feels like a punch to the chest.

“Yeah, well. Rowan’s alive. Sort of.”

“That is a trick.” One of Graeme’s thumbs curves over Nemo’s eyebrow, down past the corner of where his eye would be and back up again. “But surely alive is better than the alternative.” 

“I guess.” Nemo sighs. “I guess it depends how long she’s only sort of alive.” 

“Mmm.” 

“Tell me something boring,” Nemo says, and closes his eyes. “Tell me about taxes. I don’t want to talk about me.” 

“Our young queen’s ideas on fiscal reform are juvenile, but promising,” Graeme says promptly, and Nemo feels a small smile at the curve of his own mouth. “The tariffs on agriculture are to be reduced while the taxes on large landowners increased.”

“That’s going to be popular,” Nemo murmurs. A constant the world over -- the rich always hate paying their taxes. 

Graeme makes a small noise in the back of his throat. “I think our queen cares little for popularity. There are times it can be useful in getting the job done."

“She’s alright? Esther?” It wasn’t fair to say they had abandoned her - they’d done at least as much for Esther as most of her family had - but it was a hard world, and she held a difficult position in it. 

Maybe they hadn’t done enough, in the end. 

Graeme continues to stroke Nemo’s hair, softly. “The queen is fine. A little lost in some matters, but strong in her opinions. Her Small Council is one of the better I’ve seen.”

Nemo snorts a little; Graeme ignores it and continues.

“Her odds are quite good if she survives the year. Better still with a good match.” 

“I’ve heard that gossip.”

Nemo hears rather than sees Graeme’s smile. “I was certain you’d had.”

  
  
  
  


**In Libraries**

Though Nemo has already spent time in the libraries of Alanar and Soraya, there’s so much more he needs to research now --  Dantalion and the Seven Hells, sphinxes and their riddles, the mazes they might find themselves in. Ilmater. Comas. He takes copious notes in case he forgets later, and makes sure to write the older ones out better than they were. Perhaps he should give a copy to Sariel, or Fen. Maybe he should make a cop for  _ everyone _ , and better increase the chances of someone understanding something.

Perhaps they should write it all down, he thinks suddenly. Every bit of it. Maybe people were less likely to forget him, then.

Couldn’t hurt. 

  
  


###  **With Lysander**

When Sariel announces she’s going to stay in Alanar for a few more days, Nemo asks to be sent ahead to Soraya. 

“Nothing against Alanar,” he says hurriedly, even though the place makes the hair on the back of his neck stand up almost constantly. “I’ll just go and check on the keep. And Gaer, and…. everything.”

“Mmhmm,” Sariel says, but she opens the teleportation circle and sends him through.

And in fact Nemo  _ does _ check on the keep, and says hi to Lex. He visits with Gaer. He even goes to visit Agrona and little baby fae whatsit - he’s still not sure they’ve given the kid an actual name yet, and if they did he missed it -- and he buys supplies for his spells and arranges to get his armor repaired and then, finally, when he’s run out of excuses but somehow hasn’t quite talked himself out of it yet, he goes to see Lysander.

If he’s being honest, Nemo still finds the Raven Queen’s temple a bit unnerving. Neither of Pelor’s temples were particularly welcoming to him, and he’s certain to always find Ilmater’s eerie, but Hers is... fraught. Nemo doesn’t remember everything that happened here, but he remembers the edges of it. He’s not sure he likes Her. He’s not sure She isn’t toying with him. And Hells, maybe She  _ is  _ trying to help, but a fat lot of good it’s done him so far.

He gets even more nervous once he crosses the threshold. Maybe he shouldn’t be here. Maybe he should have bought a new shirt. Maybe he should have waited and come along with the others. Maybe this isn’t what he thought it was. Nemo is a  _ bad bet _ and anyone can see that --

When Lysander sees Nemo, he smiles. 

  
  


###  **Without Lysander**

When they reach Alanar, the first thing Nemo does is head to the temple of the Raven Queen. He’s not overly fond of Her; the entire group hasn’t really done well with Gods so far, and She disquiets him a bit more than most. He’s not even exactly sure what terms the two of them parted on; he’s afraid to ask.

He knows the Raven Queen took something from him. He isn’t sure what but the  _ absence _ can be felt. Nemo knows all about absence. He knows when something is missing, even if he doesn’t know what it was. 

He’s barely past the atrium when he spies Lysander in the center of the nave, talking to what looks like one of the initiates. He looks tired, Nemo thinks, but who wouldn’t be with his job. Pretty much every part of it seems thankless. 

Nemo tries to be not-so-stealthy as he walks over. He coughs, a little, and waits for Lysander to turn around.

When he sees Nemo, Lysander furrows his brow for a moment. He bites the corner of his lip. Nemo has a brief moment of hope that what comes out of his mouth will be “I didn’t know you were back in Soraya,” or “Gaer didn’t say you were coming back” or even “what in God’s name has happened to your face.”

But it’s not that. It’s not any of those things. It’s not anything like them. 

He’s not sure She has anything to do with it, really, but She might’ve helped.  
  
  
  



End file.
